Análisis Epidemiológico Descriptivo del Intento de Suicidio en el Departamento de Santander Colombia

Abstract

Suicide is one of the main public health problems worldwide, being one of the leading causes of death in the Americas, in Colombia the incidence of attempted suicide increases year after year, going from 0.9 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2009 to 36 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2016. The department of Santander recorded for the year 2019 an approximate of 22 cases of attempted suicide per week, being one of the departments with an incidence rate higher than that of the country. The negative consequences for the department are reflected in public health, economic and various social, financial, and occupational aspects of its population. Objective: to analyze epidemiologically the cases of attempted suicide reported in the department of Santander. Methodology: a retrospective cross-sectional descriptive analysis of the information obtained from the SIVIGILA databases was performed, using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests with a P<0.05. Results: Santander shows a growth trend in the number of cases, with the metropolitan area and Barrancabermeja accounting for 73.4% of the total number of cases reported and the highest cumulative incidences in the municipalities of Contraction and Valle de San José. The highest number of cases was recorded in young women between 10 and 19 years of age, unmarried, from the municipal capitals, affiliated to the contributory health system, 4 out of 10 cases had attained secondary schooling and had some record of previous attempts. The main mechanism of aggression was intoxication, with psychiatric disorders as a risk factor and relationship problems as a triggering factor. There is no direct relationship between belonging to a psychiatric population group and any specific age group, nor is there a direct link between being displaced or a migrant and committing a suicide attempt. Among the age groups analyzed (2, 3 and 4) crossed with women reported to be pregnant, the analysis performed with Pearson's correlation coefficient showed a significant positive correlation between the variables studied. Key words: Santander, suicide, suicide attempt, previous attempts, epidemiological behavior, origin, risk factors, precipitating factor.